Light My Candle
by punkgothicjackal
Summary: Narcissa finds it hard to think that her best friend and the man she loves is in love with her sister.
1. Chapter 1

Light My Candle By: Punkgothicjackal

Prologue

A gentle summer breeze ruffled the tussled blonde curls of the fidgety girl in the second row as she stamped her feet, earning a harsh reprimand from her mother. Stilling only for a moment, she glared at the raven haired flower girl, who merely smirked at her sister's annoyance.

Bella always got more attention.

Narcissa looked around inquisitively, wondering how she could prove she was the smarter one, the cuter one. She let her eyes drift back to Bella, who was standing so innocently, in her little pink and white dress…. And then it hit her.

After the ceremony, a smaller, private one was to be held, just for the members of the actual wedding. It was tradition that the candles carried during the actual wedding were to be lit right afterwards, symbolizing the lighting of passion and the kindling of a new branch on the pureblooded trees. Narcissa, of course, hadn't the slightest idea what passion or even real romance was, but she did understand that to show up without the said candle was disastrous, an ill omen for the new couple.

Yes, the idea was formulated in Narcissa's small mind, that should she get a hold of Bella's candle, her older sister would be in a lot of trouble. And Narcissa would find deep amusement in watching Bella suffer.

Narcissa waited until the procession filed out to start the execution. With a look of utmost innocence, she crept to where her dark haired sister was busy fixing a slight wrinkle in her otherwise immaculate dress, and snatched the candle from right under her sister's nose. Careful not to alert Bella to her presence, Narcissa slid stealthily out of the room.

She was rewarded momentarily by an outraged cry, and she ducked into the crowded reception room, and behind a table, holding all sorts of foods for the guests. She hid her laugh with a small hand, listening to her sister's angry wails.

"Your candle's out." A light voice stated, making Narcissa jump. She turned to frown at the presence that intruded on her solitude.

The pale, blonde boy was only a little taller than her, and was observing her with rather enticing gray eyes. "You might want to deal with that," He continued lazily, "and rather quickly. The wedding party's already meeting."

Narcissa opened her mouth to protest, but shook her head, sending her curls bouncing. "It's not mine." She stated defiantly, as though daring him to tattle on her. "It's my sister's."

"Is that so?" He said softly, measuring up the small girl in front of him. She couldn't have been more than a year younger than him, two at most. "And what, pray tell, are you doing with your sister's candle?"

Narcissa looked away, her face flushing slightly. "Bella always gets all the attention." She whined, unable to keep her indignation out of her voice. "Everyone's always saying she's prettier than me, she's smarter…. But she isn't!" She protested loudly. The boy merely weathered her complaints with little expression. "I'll show her!" The little girl swore.

"So you took her candle." He said softly. "To make her pay for the attention she's receiving? To get her into trouble?" He asked.

"Yes."

He gave her the hint of a smile, leaning down and taking the candle from her. "Your sister is lovely, she deserves the attention." As Narcissa opened her mouth to protest, he placed a finger against her lips. "Hush." He met her angry gaze and smiled even more widely. "But I think that one day, little one, you will be even more beautiful than she."

He removed his hand and, candle in hand, left, going to return the frantic Bella her candle.

Narcissa stared in wonder, reveling in the compliment.

A/N: Review! More soon. 


	2. Chapter 2

Light My Candle

A/N: Now that's school's out, I have time to work on my writing. Yay!

Chapter 1: He loves me not, He loves…. Her?

Narcissa rolled her eyes, flipping the page of her magazine carelessly. She was only half-listening to Lucius' pointless fretting, more absorbed in Witch Weekly's latest book reviews, or, in particular, one on the latest book by Felidora Norrington, her favorite author.

"Cissy? Are you listening?"

Her head snapped up to immediate attention, as if she had been listening the whole time. "W-what?" She asked, unable to hide a yawn.

Lucius sighed. "What do you think of this one?" She flicked her blue-eyed gaze to his immaculate (as always) robes and shrugged.

"Looks no different than the last one." She answered honestly, receiving a scowl.

"You're not any help." Lucius chided, admiring himself in the mirror. He had been at this for three hours now, boring Narcissa to death.

Narcissa smiled. "I know." She stretched out on his bed, pushing a blonde ringlet out of her face as she observed him over the rims of her glasses. She was a gawky girl, with pallid, albino-like skin, and large, blue eyes that were framed by her thick glasses. Her white-blonde hair was a tangled mass of ringlets that took, on occasion, the liberty of making her look like she had a slight afro. She was the tallest of the three Black sisters (now two, since Andromeda graduated two years previously), and had a skinny, half starved air about her.

Those that weren't deterred by Narcissa Black's looks, however, were deterred by her intelligence and wry sense of humor. "Cissy", as some called her, was the top of her grade in every class she bothered to take, and a well known teacher's pet. She could be casually cruel, or, if she liked you, your best friend.

In Lucius Malfoy's case, Narcissa was his best friend, and temporary fashion consultant.

"I should have known not to ask for your help." Lucius drawled sarcastically. "You really aren't good for anything, are you?"

Narcissa didn't bat an eyelash, giving him the finger as she turned back to her magazine.

"Why do you read this crap, anyway?" He asked, stealing the magazine and looking at the cover. He made a face, tossing it into the flames. "It's all rubbish."

"Hey!" Narcissa yelped, diving for her abused reading source. "Do you mind?" She stamped out the small fire that had began eating the edge, and with a frown, opened it to find her article ruined. With a sigh, she tossed it back in, listening to the fire crackle with new life. "Thanks." She mumbled sarcastically.

"There's more to life than reading, you know." Lucius told her softly, fixing the collar of his robes as he turned to look at her. Seeing her sour expression, he made a teasing face at her. "Careful, you might actually be capable of smiling."

Narcissa glared at him dully. "What are you doing, anyway?" It had never occurred to her to ask before. Not while there was a pre-release excerpt of Kenyan Vampire Hunter to read.

"Me?" He asked, grinning impishly as he paused for a dramatic effect.

"No, Severus." She drawled irritably, referring to one of Lucius' roommates. "Yes, you."

"I, my little friend, have a date with a lovely lady this evening." He flashed her a winning grin that almost made her smile back. Almost.

"Ah. In other words, you're going to go sneak to Hogsmeade, get insanely drunk, flirt with the bartender, and find your way back here blubbering like an idiot."

"Something like that, yes." Lucius admitted, giving her a dark look. "But this night is going to be different, Cissa."

"Don't call me that." She responded automatically, before looking slightly curious. "Why?"

Lucius' grin grew wide. "No reason."

Narcissa rolled her eyes, refusing to take the bait. "Fine. Don't tell me. I don't really care anyways."

Lucius laughed softly, messing up her already frizzy hair. "Don't wait up."

Narcissa tried to ignore the sounds of thunder outside, trying to focus on her studying. 'The ten uses of belladonna are… oh bloody hell.' She snapped the book closed with a sigh, pushing it away from her. By the looks of the common room fireplace and the little light that usually came in from the tiny windows, it had to be around four in the morning.

"Where is he?" She pondered quietly, getting up and drawing her dressing robe tighter around her pajamas. She yawned sleepily, but knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. Someone had to watch over that idiot.

She jumped slightly as she felt something brush her foot, looking down and seeing a pair of green eyes staring back up at her. Damn cat.

"Go away." She mumbled grumpily, nudging it with her foot. "Shoo!"

Narcissa hated cats. Ever since Bella's cat had scratched her across the face at the age of three for pulling it's tail, she had a dislike of cats.

She flopped into one of the black leather armchairs, allowing her eyes to unfocus. 'I hope he's alright…' She thought, then shook her head. Trying hard to fight off sleep, she pulled her journal out of her bag, perusing over the entries. Finding no new understanding or life purpose, she started a new one.

Two words into the entry, she was asleep.

"Cissy, wake up!" She groaned and swatted absently at the hand that shook her roughly.

"Gerroff.." She mumbled, burying her face into the leather armrest.

"It's time for breakfast!"

"Lucius? What the hell are you doing in my bedroom?"

Lucius rolled his eyes, pulling her bodily from the sofa, where she landed ungracefully on the floor.

"I'm up." She growled, getting to her feet and yawning. She went upstairs to change, casting her bed a forlorn look and actually considering returning to it. She shook her head and forced herself to move her leaden feet down the stairs.

She met Lucius outside the entranceway. "Where were you last night?"

"What do you mean?" He asked evasively.

"I waited for you, but you never came back." She protested, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Sure I did." He looked sideways at her. "You were too busy studying to notice."

Narcissa blinked, mulling this idea over. She had been studying hard, had she really missed him? Well, anything was possible.

"Oh." She blushed and looked down at her feet. Narcissa knew that she wasn't as pretty as other girls, or even her sister Bellatrix, but it didn't mean that she didn't have feelings. And she did, for a certain blonde-haired boy, no matter how much he infuriated her.

"Is something wrong?" Lucius drawled softly. They had been best friends for four years now, and he could read every emotion splayed on her ghostly face.

"No." She replied softly, looking lost.

"Are you feeling alright?" He pressed. He was in an unnaturally good mood as of late, and it puzzled her.

"I- well-"

"You may want to have that checked, you know." He continued, holding the door open for her momentarily as he went into the Great Hall. "We can't have our favorite student getting sick, can we?"

Narcissa was spared answering by Regulus calling her name, something she was truly grateful for.

"Got a minute?" Her raven-haired cousin asked quietly, taking her hands and pulling her away from the table without letting her answer.

"What's going on?" She blinked, studying his face. His normally olive skin was pale with distress (though nowhere near as ashen as her own). She looked him over, looking for any signs of recent blood loss or any other reason, for that matter.

"I have some really bad news." He said softly, guiding her out of earshot of a group of first year slytherins.

Narcissa frowned at him, trying to guess before he told her. "What?" She and Regulus were very close, more like siblings than cousins. They held no secrets between them, and he had to be the only person in the world who knew about her feelings for Lucius.

"You know how you've been asking around about where he's been going?" She nodded, not needing him to clarify who "he" was.

"What's the point, Regulus?" She stopped herself from chewing her lip.

"Well… it's sort of… bad news…"

"Regulus, spit it out!"

"He's been going out with Bella." Regulus stepped away as though afraid he'd hit her.

"He… what!"

"They've been sneaking out to Hogsmeade every other night for the last week… I'm sorry, Ciss."

Narcissa stared at him. He had to be joking. He just had to. She turned and looked at the Slytherin table, taking in Lucius. And he was staring.

Not at her.

A/N: Chapter 2 to come soon! 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I love you all! Thanks for reviewing! Also- forgot to answer the question that came up from the prologue. The candle thing was totally out of my head. Though I'd be really amused to find out it's some sort of real practice anywhere. The candle thing (as well as the title), came from a really amusing song that a friend and I are simply addicted to. Chapter 2: Blood

"Are you sure?" Narcissa asked slowly, fighting the urge to go and claw her sister's eyes out with her chewed up fingernails. "I mean, maybe they were just hanging out…"

Regulus rolled his eyes at Narcissa. "Please. And Sirius isn't a prat."

Narcissa shook her head, feeling her stomach lurch uncomfortably. Just the thought of Lucius with that… bitch made her queasy. She got a glassy look in her eyes, fighting so hard to keep the tears from falling. She hadn't cried in years, not since her mother had slapped her on the mouth for being late to dinner. She found if she didn't cry, her mother usually stopped her punishment a lot faster.

"I don't care.' She suddenly stated, her eyes flashing as though daring Regulus to prove her wrong. "She's a slut anyway, if he wants some sort of nasty warts, not my problem, is it?"

Regulus blinked, unable to say anything before Narcissa stormed off to the table, pausing to notice that her usual spot next to Lucius was taken. "Excuse me." She growled at the raven head of Bella. Her sister brushed her off, ignoring her and saying something low and sultry to Lucius. Snarling, Narcissa tapped her shoulder- digging her one good nail into it.

"Go away." Bella glared at her, before going back to flirting. Narcissa, fed up, smirked, and, with usual Black flair, grabbed her sister's chair rather roughly, dumping her unceremoniously onto the floor. She righted the seat, taking it herself. "I'm sorry," She batted her eyes innocently as she watched Bella go eight shades of chartreuse. "Were you sitting there?"

"NARCISSA! MOVE!"

"I'm quite sure mother taught you screaming wouldn't get you anything… well, no, maybe she didn't. Allow me." She picked up Bella's bowl of cereal, dumping it on her sister's best robes.

Before she knew what happened, Bellatrix grabbed her sharply by the chin, wrenching her neck sideways as she glared at her sister, their noses almost touching. Narcissa took a moment to realize Bella's breath reeked.

"Mark my words, Cissa, you will regret this." Releasing her with a shove, Bella fled the hall, and after a moment of stunned silence, the hall erupted into laughter.

Narcissa rubbed her neck, transferring a clean plate to her place. She looked up to meet Lucius' silver gaze.

"What, exactly, do you call that?" He was frowning at her, and she clenched her fists so he couldn't see her shaking.

"Sibling rivalry?" She asked sheepishly, feeling a faint blush come to her cheeks. It was so strange that a boy she had known since childhood could make her heart flutter so.

Lucius shook his head, almost in disgust. "Do you have to hate every girl I date?"

"I don't hate all of them!" She protested, dropping her fork midway to getting a piece of egg into her mouth.  
"Name one."

"Well… um… I liked Auri!"

"No you didn't." He raised a pale brow at her. "You said she scared you.'

"Lucius, do you think it's normal for a girl to be bald and have snakes tattooed on her head?"

He rolled his eyes. "Please, continue this charade."

Narcissa glared at him. "Fine. I liked Vanessa."

Lucius laughed humorlessly. "One out of a thousand."

"But she's my sister!" Narcissa slammed her hands down on the table suddenly, causing, for the second time, near silence in the hall. "I never said you could date my sister!"

Lucius stood at well, glowering down at her. Narcissa was a tall girl, but Lucius made her look tiny. He almost made her want to cringe away in fear, the way he was looking at her. Almost. "I don't have to have your permission. Good day, Narcissa."

Narcissa watched him walk away, more surprised than anything. He never, in a million years, called her Narcissa. Not after he had overheard the lecture she had given the potions teacher in first year about how she hated her name, and that she would personally castrate him if he called her that again. Now she was just Miss Black. It hurt her that Lucius, who was the first to call her Cissy, was rubbing salt in her wounds.

Jackass.

"Where are you going?"

"Go away!"

"No!" Regulus panted, out of breath as he followed Narcissa up the many steps to the owlery. It didn't help that she was practically running.

"Regulus, fuck off!" Narcissa wanted to escape him, to escape everything and everyone. She needed to think. As much as she loved Regulus, his pointless prodding didn't bode well for her musings. She had exactly an hour before Potions class, and she had to get this done quickly. Explaining herself was not in the schedule.

Regulus, unable to keep up anymore, collapsed on the stairs. "Just don't kill yourself." He finally mumbled, but the wind whipped his words away, and his curly-haired cousin didn't hear at all.

Narcissa slid slightly through the owl droppings as she skidded to a stop. She dug into the cache of paper and quills, tuning out the sleepy protests of the owls around her. She found a piece of parchment that wasn't wet from the rain (and probably worse, though she didn't want to think about that), and began writing as fast as she could make her hand move. After forty-five minutes of her frantic scribblings (and a significant amount of parchment later), she stuffed her letter into an envelope, and sought out her owl. She ignored Ariah's angry stare at the interruption of dinner, tying the letter to her feet. "Find Andie." She told the owl, taking her to the window and letting her go.

On her descent back to the grounds, she noticed Regulus had already left- and she wasn't surprised. He was such a wimp, afraid of even one foul glance in his direction, so of course he was afraid of displeasing his teachers. Which, she guessed, paid off for him, because it gave her aunt more time to rant and rave at Sirius instead of paying attention to what Regulus was doing wrong. She shuddered at the though of her aunt in a towering rage. Better Sirius than her.

She made it down to the dungeons just in time to catch Lucius making out with a freshly dressed Bella, and fought back nausea. She ignored them both, storming to her seat and throwing her bag down, catching a few odd looks as it skidded across the floor. She pulled it back with a simple charm, and put her head on her hands. She ignored the grating of the chair next to her as the bell rang. Thank god she only had one class with Lucius, and none with her sister. She knew those honors classes counted for something.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Slughorn cleared his throat and smiled at his students. "Today we will be working on a memory potion." He chuckled slightly to himself as the class collectively groaned. "I know it sounds simple, but let me assure you it isn't! If this isn't prepared carefully, you can give your partner permanent amnesia. So," He looked around the class at the fifteen or so assembled students. "Your usual lab partners, and you need to decide who will be testing the potion at the end of the block."

Narcissa groaned inwardly, wishing she had never picked Lucius to be her partner. She grudgingly turned towards him, careful to keep her eyes on the cauldron.

"Which of us will be the guinea pig?" Lucius asked evenly, his face expressionless.

"It's your turn." Narcissa replied just as calmly. She got up, going to the potion stores and getting the ingredients listed in the book. She hated potions, since it was the only class she didn't receive top marks in. She usually let Lucius work his magic on whatever the hell they were supposed to be making (it all looked the same to her), while she merely stayed out of his way. She figured today might be just a little different. She waited for him to make some sort of snide comment, but none came.

She lit the flames under the cauldron, very aware of the prickly feeling the silence was giving her, like being stabbed with millions of toothpicks. She shook it off, pulling her hair back and tying it up before proceeding. "After boiling, add two newt livers…" She mumbled to herself, wishing Lucius would stop staring at her in that irritating way.

"Do you mind?" She snapped softly, tossing the wolf spider legs into the mix.

"Mind what?" He asked innocently, his voice hardly more than a deep purr. It made her heart start pounding. She wondered absently if he could hear it.

"Please, just stop staring. This is already hard enough without your assistance." She shifted her body slightly, making it look as if she was reading her textbook.

Lucius sighed, finally exasperated. "I just don't see why it bothers you that I'm dating Bella. That won't change anything between us."

"It just does!" Narcissa sighed, turning to face him. She met his silvery gaze, shaking her head. "She's my sister, and even more than that, I hate her!"

Lucius stared at her. "She isn't that bad, Cissa."

Narcissa shook her head in disbelief. "I've told you all the things she's done to me. Does that not count for anything?"

"You were kids, Cissa. She's not that bad."

"Forget I even said anything." She turned, sniffing slightly, returning her attention to the potion. She read and completed the next two steps, then froze stiff at step six. She was vaguely aware of Lucius trying to get her to continue the conversation, to open up, but she couldn't be distracted from the word on the page. Blood.

She bit her lip, looking at the knife she had used to cut up the belladonna roots, and taking in a deep breath, she picked it up. Narcissa had always been very bothered by blood, operating under the policy that what was inside her veins should remain there. She had never told Lucius this, because she knew he'd laugh.

She closed her eyes, and cut her palm, turning her hand over quickly and letting her blood drip into the cauldron. She suddenly felt very lightheaded, and everything was foggy.

"Cissa?" She vaguely heard Lucius' voice, growing slightly more worried. "Narcissa?" He caught her in surprise when she fell backwards, unconscious. 


	4. Chapter 4

Light My Candle Chapter 3: Invitation

"Potions class, huh? You certainly aren't the first." Narcissa stifled a growl of irritation at the casualty in which the school nurse addressed her. Didn't she know who she was talking to? The Black family was practically royalty. She should have more respect.

What she actually said was, "I'm sure."

"Well, you're free to go when you're ready, if you're not still feeling faint." The nurse- what was her name again?- smiled warmly, sealing off the edge of Narcissa's bandage with a flourish of her wand.

"I'm fine." Narcissa mumbled, tucking her hand under her other arm to hide the bandage. She hoped that her embarrassing "moment" hadn't spread all over the school. That was the last thing she needed to cap off an already horrible day.

She pushed open the door, trying to ignore the voice that called to her. She tried to drown out Lucius by the clip-clopping of her shoes, loud across the white marble floors.

"Narcissa, what the hell? Are you alright?" Narcissa let out a small yelp as he grabbed her arm- the injured one- and his hand slid down onto the bandage. The nurse had promised the cut would be gone in a few hours, but for now, it was definitely still tender.

"I'm fine." Narcissa gritted her teeth, feeling as if that was the only thing she was capable of saying anymore. Lucius opened his mouth, then shut it, silent. He leaned in, not taking his hand off her arm, peering into her eyes.

'Oh God,' Narcissa thought, staring blankly into his silver gaze. 'Is he going to…?' She pursed her lips slightly, willing him to…

"I thought so." Lucius smiled triumphantly, letting go of her. "You're lying to me."

"I- what?" Narcissa scowled, flushing at her stupidity. Of course he wasn't going to kiss her.

"You're not fine. In fact, I know exactly what your problem is!" He crowed, throwing his arm around her shoulder.

"Oh?" She raised a brow.

"You're a prude!"

"Excuse me!"

"Always studying, don't you ever have fun?" Lucius teased. Narcissa could see the determined gleam in his eyes. What could he possibly want now? He knew she would never give him her blessing to date her sister.

"No, you don't. So I'm inviting you to a little get-together tonight. Just a couple of close friends." He took her hands again, spinning her on the steps, and careful of her bandage, leaned in closely again. "Say yes, Cissy. It wouldn't be the same without you."

Narcissa shook her head, sighing. She could tell this was a peace offering of a sort, but she didn't want to party with Lucius. They had two radically different ideas of a good time. "Count me out. Sorry."

"I'll invite Regulus." He said finally.

Narcissa stared at him. Lucius made it a point to almost never be associated with younger students- herself an odd exception. Not to mention Lucius found Regulus annoying.

"Fine." She sighed. "Who else is coming?"

The two headed down the stairs as Lucius ticked off his "couple" of friends off on his long fingers. "Well, you, Regulus, Snape, Crabbe and Goyle, oh, Bella, of course… what?"

Narcissa bit her tongue so hard she tasted blood, shaking her head.

"Don't tell me you're still on that." Lucius scowled.

"On second thought, I think I'll skip tonight. Trepas." Narcissa flung open the Slytherin entrance with more gusto than warranted, causing Lucius to flinch a little at the loud crack of wood hitting brick.

"Narcissa." Lucius' eyes flashed dangerously. He had had enough. "You are coming tonight." His hands were cold on her clammy skin, but just the mere touch was enough to make her stop dead in her tracks. "I will not accept no as an answer."

Lucius' small gathering had turned into an all out party at one of Hogsmeade's more seedy pubs. Narcissa sat holed up in a corner, her hands pressed firmly over her ears, trying not to go deaf.

She blinked at Regulus as his mouth moved. "What?" She yelled, momentarily distracted by one of her roommates- Missy Thurber- flashed them all with a laugh.

"Do you want a drink?" Regulus shouted back, leaning in close to her ear. She shook her head, wishing she was back in her bed with a book. While Lucius had insisted only a few people would be there, it looked as if all of the Slytherin household was present. Also, she noted with a bit of surprise, a few Ravenclaws mingled with her fellow students.

"Come dance!" Missy invited, giggling drunkenly as she spun around the pole that supported the bar.

"I'm good." Narcissa raised a brow, looking around for a quieter place that she already knew didn't exist. Almost as soon as the party had started, someone had started up blaringly loud music that made her eardrums pound. She was sure her ears would be ringing for a week.

"Good party, eh?" Regulus inquired, sipping his butterbeer.

"I wouldn't know." She yelled loudly over the din, "Where's Lucius?"

Regulus shrugged. "Haven't seen him, mate."

The host had vanished almost as soon as things had gotten into full swing, and hadn't been seen since. Neither, she noted with irritation, had her sister.

"Malfoy?" Goyle asked, sliding into the booth next to her. Narcissa wrinkled up her pale nose, noting he smelled a lot like vomit. Another unsurprising fact, considering how much he had been drinking. "Over there." He gestured vaguely towards the corner, and it took Narcissa only a second to recognize Lucius' white blonde hair.

Regulus followed her gaze when she froze, and shook his head. "Bad wrap, Cissy. Drink?"

Narcissa tore her eyes away from the sight of Lucius with his tongue rammed down her sister's throat. "Yes." She said with a steely reserve. "The strongest thing you can find."

The wheels in her brain turned as she tap, tap, tapped her nails on the table. She couldn't cry- a Black never cried. She couldn't leave- that would make Bella happy. All that was left was to get even. But not here, and not now. For now, she had to make them think she didn't care.

It took her four drinks before she was able to put a sick smile on her face. Seven before she was dancing on the bar with Missy. Nine before she was topless.

"Miss Black?" Narcissa blinked her eyes, trying to bring the Professor's face into focus. She nearly groaned at the pounding in her head, as though someone was beating her head with the entire contents of her bookcase. "I trust you're feeling better after yesterday?" Slughorn pressed. Narcissa thought about it- then stopped, because it hurt too much. What was yesterday? Oh yes. The blood.

"I…" She blinked. She was only partially aware of the other Slytherins snickering behind her. She had forgotten that the entire school now knew about her phobia. "Yes." Her throat was dry and tasted like ass. Or what she figured ass would taste like. It wasn't pleasant.

"I'm glad, because today we'll being using more blood…"

"I'll be fine!" Narcissa growled, flushing furiously. She hated that he was paying attention to her for something like this. Couldn't he notice her brilliance?

"Well, alright…" Slughorn looked surprised at her outburst. She stomped to her desk, glaring at everyone who dared to look her way. She laid her head down, ignoring Slughorn's instructions. Her head was pounding, and she couldn't even remember what humiliating things she had done the night before, she had been so wasted. Judging by the giggles and whispers of her classmates, it had been humiliating.

"So…" Lucius said after a moment, leaning back in his chair. "That was an interesting performance last night. Care to explain?"

"No." Narcissa mumbled. "I don't." 'Because I don't remember it.' She finished silently.

Lucius laughed. "I knew you were a party girl."

'What,' Narcissa wondered to herself, 'on earth is he talking about?'

"Reg! I need to talk to you." Narcissa called after her cousin as he and his fellow underclassmen filed out of their study hall.

"Sure." Regulus pulled on his cloak as the two went out onto the grounds toward the lake. The fallen leaves crunched under their shoes.

"What did I do last night?" Narcissa asked, glaring at some first years who were openly staring at her. They blushed and looked away, but continued to twitter to each other.

"Err… you don't remember?" Regulus asked, fishing around in his pockets. He popped a piece of gum into his mouth, chewing uncomfortably.

"No." Narcissa snapped. "I clearly don't."

Regulus scratched his head awkwardly. "Well, you sort of flashed all of Slytherin, er, I guess it was more like stripped for all of Slytherin, then practically molested Goyle. It was rather disgusting, Cissy, I must admit."

"I did what?" Narcissa stopped, staring at him. "You're kidding? Please say you are."

"No, 'fraid not." Regulus shrugged. "Maybe they were all too drunk to remember it." He added comfortingly.

Narcissa shook her head, rubbing her eyes with her hands. So they hadn't been laughing at her fainting at the sight of blood- at least, not anymore. They had been laughing at Narcissa Black, stripper extraordinaire. "Please tell me that's the worst." She could deal with that. She was relatively a social recluse already, maybe only Slytherin would know. Maybe not the rest of the school. She hoped so.

"Well…"

"Regulus!"

"Goyle sort of thinks you're his exclusive property now. He's been crowing it around the entire hall this morning at breakfast."

"Oh God." Narcissa groaned, feeling sick. Goyle, that had been so plastered last night, was still sober enough to remember her going after him. And now the whole school knew. "I think I'm going to be sick…"

Regulus forced a hesitant smile. "Hey, it could be worse, couldn't it?"

Narcissa glared at him and gave such a vehement snarl that he took a step back. "Or not."

"What am I going to do?" She moaned, collapsing onto the grass.

"There's nothing to do. It's been done." Regulus said, standing next to her and staring into the water. "Except ditch Goyle. That's for certain."

Narcissa shuddered. "No kidding. Lucius has to think I'm insane. Definitely not dateable. Ever."

"Were you ever?" Regulus whimpered as Narcissa punched him in the shin. "What did I do? We both know it's the truth! Especially after last night."

Narcissa groaned and buried her face in her arms. "Kill me."

"Can't, sorry. Who else do I have to hang out with at the ball?"

"What ball?" She mumbled, massaging her temples.

"The Black Ball, duh. Or did you forget?"

Narcissa felt the nausea rise again. She detested the Black Ball more than she detested the family reunions. The Black Ball was the biggest event on any Pureblood's social calendar. It was extremely stuffy, extremely expensive, and only a select few were invited. You really had to be someone to get an invite. Or you had to be family. Which, in this world, was equivalent to being someone. "No. How long?"

"Christmas holiday." Regulus sniffed. "You could ask Lucius."

Narcissa stared up at him. "Are you insane? He'll be going with Bella, or have you forgotten?"

Regulus shrugged. "Sorry then, mate. That's your only option." He looked back to the school. "I have to get back to class." He knelt next to her, pressing a small vial into her hand with a smile. "It'll help with the headache. Cheerio."

A/N: Sorry this took me about 6 months- I haven't forgotten about it at all. Just been busy and all applying for college (I've been accepted) and I've had some of a my writing published. ) 


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